Communication support for BSL users

Below is NDCS's policy statement relating to Communication Support for deaf children who use British Sign Language (BSL).

This statement is relevant only to deaf children for whom BSL is their first or preferred language.

Deaf children are under-achieving at school. On average only a third of deaf children achieve 5 or more C+ grades at GCSE, compared to over half of their hearing peers.

Given the right support there is no reason for any deaf child to develop language at a slower rate than a hearing child with similar abilities

It is logical that the quality of a deaf child’s communication support as well as the quality of teaching directly contributes to that child’s ability to learn and achieve their potential in an educational environment. The role of the Communication Support Worker is to support deaf learners in and outside the classroom.

The Communication Support Worker will also act as a note-taker, liaise with teaching staff on behalf of deaf students, undertake deaf awareness training if required, assist with examination preparation and advise on equipment needed to facilitate access. As such they are a critical part of the deaf child’s school life.

This is a distinct and different role to a BSL-English interpreter, whose role is purely to translate between English and BSL and vice-versa.

The primary role of a CSW involves the provision of communication support as well as the adaptation of the language of worksheets, videos and assignments. Many communication support workers are highly trained and dedicated professionals who deliver a critical service for deaf children to a high standard.

However there are no national standards in place for the provision of BSL interpretation required within the role and as a result there is widespread provision of poorly qualified, untrained and non-registered communication support workers who are failing to meet deaf students’ needs. This undermines the deaf students’ development and prevents them achieving their full potential at school.

Every LEA is legally obliged to consider the communication needs of every deaf child individually. This policy supports LEAs in meeting the needs of those children for whom British Sign Language is their first or preferred language. 

Agreed by the NDCS Trustee Board on 12 November 2007.

The quality of access a BSL using deaf child has to the curriculum and its educational content is only as good as the quality of communication support that they receive.

For this reason every deaf child for whom BSL is their first or preferred language should be supported by a communication support worker qualified to a minimum of CACDP BSL Level III.

CACDP Level III is approximately equivalent to an AS Level and is therefore the minimum level required by a professional to communicate concepts, facts and arguments in a classroom environment.

CACDP Level II is approximately equivalent to GCSE grade B and is therefore not sufficient.

Any qualification less than CACDP BSL Level III is insufficient to give full access to the national curriculum at either primary or secondary level education. Those professionals currently working with deaf children who are qualified to less than CACDP Level III should be supported to reach this qualification.

All professionals working with deaf children in this capacity must be registered with either ASLI, SASLI or the Independent Registration Panel.

Any future qualification designed specifically for those professionals working with deaf children in schools and colleges, such as that currently being developed by CACDP and Edexcel, must also become a minimum entry-level requirement to working with deaf children as a communication professional within an educational setting.

This minimum requirement also applies to Further and Higher Education settings.  

For more information please contact  webteam@ndcs.org.uk